Golf club



` Feb. 3, 1925.

c. L. LAwToN GOLF CLUB Filed March 20. 1922 Patented Feb. 3:1, 1925UNITED 's'rATs CHABI-' L. LAWTON, OF HANCOCK, IVIICHIGAN.

GOLF CLUB.

Application filed March 20, 1922. Serial No. 545,033.

To all 'whom z't may concem Be it known that I, CHARLES L. LAWTON, acitizen of the United States, and residing at Hancock, in the county ofHoughton and State of Michigan, have mvented a new and lmproved GolfClub, of which the following. is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of that type of golf clubswhich are intended w for utting, that is for so propelling the balltlhat it will roll along close to the ground and in a straight linebecause of oversp-in imparted to 'he ball by the club, and its object isto rovide a club of this character w which will 1mpart a maximum amounto-f overspin to the ball without reducing its travel by crowding ittoward the ound. In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan of myimproved golf club. Figs. 2 ao and 3 are side elevations thereof showingthe club head in normal playing positions. Fig. 4 is a front elevationof the club head.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the severalviews. 2a Expert golf players are able to give to golf ballsconsiderab'le overspin through the use of flat-face put-tem so that theballs will run a straight course and cling closely to the green. Theclub shown in the accomi panying drawing enables all players, whetherskilled or unskilled, to give this peculiar motion to golf balls, afterlittle practice, and it therefore assists all players in improving theirscore.

The club consists of a shaft 1 and' a head 2 provided with a shank orhosel 3 to re-- ceive the shaft. The Vertical angle between the head andthe shaft will depend upon the ideas of the individual players. Th'ehead may be of any desired metal or shape so long as the fronrt face 4is convex. but the preferred type is cylindrical, 'and may extend downto a sligh't shoulder 5 which is at the front edge of the sole 6,although this shoulder may be omitted. The axis of the cylindrical face4 is preferably parallel to the ground when the club is in 'normalplaying position and the face curves back from about the middle line ofthe head.

The di'ameter of the cylinder of the front face is preferably aboutthesame -as that of the ball 7, and as the sole extends down below thecontinuation of the curvature of the face, the contact point 8 betweenthe club and the ball is above the center of the point of contact withthe ball. V

ball. The result is that the ballturns for- Ward fast-er than whenstruck with an ordinary straight or flat-faced putter, and should itstrike a ho-rizontal twig, a pebble or small clod, it climbs over suchobstruction instead of being deflected aside thereby. The amount of thisoverspin will depend upon the angle between the line 9 of contactand thehorizontal line 10 and should not be unduly increased.

I prefer that the point of contact between the ball and the head 2should be in the vertical line of the center of gravity of'the club andfor that reason may place a mark 12 on the upper edge of the head. Bycurving the club away from the point of contact with the ball, I avoidcrowding the ball toward the ground, which would result in checking itsmovement. The continuous curve for the face of the club permits thelangle between the shaft and the ground to vary between wide limits andthe distanoe between [the bottom of the sole 6 and the ground to varyconsiderably.

The shank 3 or hosel is fi'attened at 14 so as to make it more flexibleand is widened to overcome any tendency toward torsion. The overspin ofthe ball is increased by this flexibility of the hosel. The players caneasily reduce the thickness of this fiattened portion 14 by filing it tosuit the club to his individual taste. While this flattening of thehosel is especially valuble in the club shown in the drawing, straightor flat faced putters are also rendered more effective by 'providingthem with this flexible hosel.

The roportions'and the several details of this clu) may be modified bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of myinvention as set forth in the following claims.

l claim:-

1. A golf club provided with a head having a cylindrical playing faceand a sole, the axis of said face being substantially horizontal whenthe club is in normal playing position with its sole adjacent the groundand the center of gravity of the head when in such playing positionbeing below the 2. A golf club provided with a head having a cylindricalplaying face and a sole, the axis of said face being substatniallyhorizontal when the club is in normal playin position with itssoleadjacent the groun the hosel of said head being fiattened adjacentthe head and parallel to the axis of the head to render the headflexible.

3. A golf club provided With a head ha.v ing a. convex playing facecurving upw'arclly and backwardly so as to strike the ball above thecenter When the club is held in normal playing position and having itscenter of gravity When in such playing position below 10 the point ofcontact with the ball, the curvature of the playingface of the. clubextending downwardly back from the point of contact with the ball.

4. A golf club comprising a shaft and a head, said head being formedWith a hosel to connect it to the shaft, said hosel being flattenedadjacent the head and parallel to the bottom of the head to render itflexible.

CHARLES L. LAWTON.

